The joy of discovery

 

I just discovered Emily Deyt-Aysage.  I'm a bit late to this, as she was the "new" Guess girl in 2019.  I guess ... I wasn't paying attention at the time.

I will explore this topic in detail.  More next month.

Let's go swimming

 

If humanity was forced to move off Earth and travel (somehow) to a habitable planet elsewhere, astronomers may have found the first place "we" could go.

Bring flippers (or a big boat).

Water World: Astronomers Discover an Extrasolar World That May Be Entirely Covered in a Deep Ocean

“TOI-1452 b is one of the best candidates for an ocean planet that we have found to date,” said Cadieux. “Its radius and mass suggest a much lower density than what one would expect for a planet that is basically made up of metal and rock, like Earth.”

The University of Toronto’s Mykhaylo Plotnykov and Diana Valencia are specialists in exoplanet interior modeling. Their analysis of TOI-1452 b shows that water may make up as much as 30% of its mass, a proportion similar to that of some natural satellites in our Solar System, such as Jupiter’s moons Ganymede and Callisto, and Saturn’s moons Titan and Enceladus."

Enjoy the accompanying video:

Public service for paw-paws

 

I've seen a couple of recent articles about the wild fruit named the paw-paw.  For your personal paw-paw perusal, here they are.

Pawpaws are America’s hidden edible treasure. Here’s how to pick them.

The revival of a forgotten American fruit

From the latter:

"The pawpaw is in the same family as the custard apple, cherimoya, sweetsop, soursop and ylang-ylang. It's a subtropical fruit that migrated north from Central America, and it is atypical; the only member of the family not confined to the tropics."

You won't find them in stores, because they have a really short shelf life.  But you can find them if you want them, and there's some even nearby me.  So I may have to take a road trip to the paw-paw patch.

A bigger boom

 

Krakatoa.  Pinatubo.  Novarupta.  Tambora.  Hunga-Tonga.

What do all of these multi-syllabic names have in common?

BIG volcano eruptions.

And there's an odds-on prediction that there's a 16.7% chance, whatever that means, that an even bigger one could happen this century.

It had better hurry up, because I know I won't be seeing the end of this century.

Now, I originally found this in the Daily Mail, and I think it's kind of cheesy that they used a promotional artwork for the movie Pompeii as the first illustration.  They're basically saying that there's a 1/6 chance of a "Volcanic Explosive Index" (VEI) eruption reaching at least a 7.  Vesuvius in AD 79 was only a 5.

Hunga-Tonga was a 6.

Here's a more scientific take on this prediction.

Risk of volcano catastrophe 'a roll of the dice,' say experts

This article describes some of the steps that should be taken, in the authors' opinion, to get ready in case of geological immolation (or something close to it).   Maybe we should pay attention. 

Me too

 

The few devoted readers of my blog, if they exist, if they've been following along for years, will remember that one of the objects of my obsessions was model and singer Luisana Lopilato, who shattered the dreams and fantasies of numerous admirers when she married Michael Buble.  At the time, I speculated that the attractiveness of his bride would lead to numerous attempts at impregnation, and likely a few successes.

I was right.  Now, I don't want to belittle the family drama that they've experienced, namely the liver cancer his oldest son was diagnosed with.  It was successfully cured, and so now they've moved on to creating and producing their most recent progeny.

Michael Buble's wife Luisana Lopilato welcomes their fourth child, a daughter named Cielo Yoli Rose: 'Thank God for this infinite blessing'

Well, if you're wondering about the title of this post, if I was married to lovely Luisana, I'd very probably be an eager participant in the baby-making effort, too. 

Logan Paul, seriously?

 

One of the world's most absolutely gorgeous women, model Nina Agdal, is now apparently romantically (and probably in other ways) linked to influencer and media personality Logan Paul.

While I always hope for the best for Nina, I'm just really not sure this is the best for her.  Of course she can do better, but does she want to?  

Logan Paul's new romance with Leonardo DiCaprio's ex Nina Agdal is confirmed as the millionaire Youtuber is seen frolicking with the bikini-clad beauty in Mykonos

The article has plenty of pictures (clearly taken from a distance) of Nina in a bikini, and the  paparazzi photogs apparently knew when to snap the shots.  There are pictures of Logan too, I must admit for full disclosure purposes. 

Sonnet - 'the view to my side'

 

A new sonnet about reflecting on reflections.

the view to my side

So I look back into a pure reflec-
tion, once that was impure yet perfect then,
existing there and on a cloud of fleck
and foam, ephemeral as thoughts of men
which rarely are recalled again. For some
they can record the triumph they inspired,
though details are obscured; for they will come
to where they were before they had retired,
with satisfaction all that ever will remain.
Yet I do differ from the same, a curse
of bubbles which survive the prick's disdain
to keep their spherical domain and verse,
for it was poetry and motion, named
for what is always similar and famed.

And now, a couple of images of Alexis Ren

 

Every now and then, model/activist Alexis Ren stuns.

Actually, it's pretty much a daily occurrence.

Ryugu's dust is really old

 

Recent results from analysis of the dust brought back to Earth by the Japanese satellite Hayabusa-2 indicate that the dust is old.

Really old.

Essentially older than Ryugu and the entire Solar System.

I don't know about you, but that impresses me.

Dust Grains Older Than Our Sun Found In Asteroid Ryugu Samples

You've got to be impressed with the technology, right?

Would Cinderella approve?

 

I just discovered what actress Lily James  ("Cinderella", "Pam and Tommy", and many others) wore to the Met Gala this year.

I should have been paying better attention at the time.

Keep on breathin'

 

A highlight from the 2022 BMC Ecology and Evolution Image Competition:

Official reference:

Harman, J., Hipsley, C.A., Jacobus, L.M. et al. 2022 BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition: the winning images. BMC Ecol Evo 22, 99 (2022).

Let's hope, hope, hope

 

Apparently some Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate are not doing particularly well.

That, in case you're wondering, is GREAT NEWS.

The GOP is paying the price for Trump’s loopy Senate candidates  (by Jennifer Rubin in the Washington Post)

"The New York Times reports on the latest indication that the party is facing fundraising woes: “The National Republican Senatorial Committee has cut more than $5 million in Pennsylvania, including its reservations in the Philadelphia media market, according to two media-tracking sources.” It also cut more than $2 million in Wisconsin and about $2 million in the biggest media markets in Arizona."

...

"For the GOP as a whole, underwhelming performances in statewide races by handpicked Trump candidates would be a clear signal that Trumpism remains a minority faction dependent on antidemocratic rules (e.g., gerrymandering, the filibuster). There’s no certainty such results in November would impair Trump’s chances of winning the nomination in 2024, given Republicans’ fidelity to the former president over democracy and truth. But it would mean that refusing to cut Trump loose is a recipe for perpetual minority status."

Like I said, we can hope. Work to defeat the GOP, and hope.

Lighthouse of the Week, August 21-27, 2022: Scoglio Mangiabarche, Sardinia, Italy

For this week's lighthouse, I went back to Sardinia, in the Mediterranean Sea, which has provided a few lighthouses for this weekly feature before.  However, this lighthouse, while small, is picturesque because occasionally it is subject to big wave action, and there are many commercial pictures of that.  I found a couple that weren't on the commercial sites.

This is the Scoglio Mangiabarche, located off the far southwest coast of Sardinia.  It's actually a lighthouse on a shoal off a small island that's off the coast of the big main island.  I'm going to provide two map to help locate it.

The first is the whole island of Sardinia, with the lighthouse located where I said it was, off the southwestern end.

The second is a close-up, showing where it is in relation to the smaller islet of Sant'Antioco.  Weirdly enough, while the whole island is named Sant'Antioco, only part of the commune named Sant'Antioco is on the island.  Figure that one out.

Now back to the lighthouse, which we learn about from the Lighthouse Directory:

"1935. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 6 s. 11 m (36 ft) round stone tower with a small lantern and gallery, painted white. The name mangiabarche means "boat-eater," a reference to the dangerous shoals nearby. ... Located off the northwest point of the Isola di Sant'Antioco, marking the 2.4 km (1.5 mi) wide channel between that island and the Isola di San Pietro."

The directory also tells us that sometime between June 2000 and now, the light was renovated and repainted.

Below are five pictures of this fine example of a lighthouse.

Pretty girl post ... scratch that

 

I haven't done a "pretty girl post" for awhile, and that's what this was going to be, but this is not that.

It's a hot glamour model post.

The model is Sheila Butelli, and the Instagram source of these pics is here:  Sheila

The pics are here:

It's not a good trend

 

Just emphasizing the comment that increasing violence, and threats of violence, against lawmakers and judges is a symptom of a much bigger problem.  And that problem is the increasing intolerance of the basic intolerance of the two sides of the American political system for each other.  

I read a recent article that basically traced the decline of the American political system to Newt Gingrich.  It occurred to me that what was also happening at the same time was the rise of Rush Limbaugh (mentioned in the article, along with other culprits).  Backgrounding to that was also the rise of Fox News (which is also mentioned in that article).  Put all together, and then using the Clinton administration as its stalking horse, the political system changed drastically, from compromise and negotiation and the realization that you can't always get all that you want, but if you try, you can get what you need (catchy) to one much more consisting of my way or the highway, and your way is evil, dangerous, and unpatriotic.

Yeah ... and all of that is on the GOP and the right wing.  And it's not getting better.  What it will take is a grand repudiation;  and now I can sense its possibility, because the Dobbs decision by the SCOTUS has motivated a lot of previously unmotivated people to get out and vote.  If the tricks and traps set up by the GOP regarding voting and elections can be overcome, we might have a chance at a watershed.  But it's going to be a close thing.

It's hard to stay civil when the other side has abandoned civility.  So we have to hope that their trajectory can somehow be brought to Earth.

Hard.  In a flash and a crash, and leaving a big smoking crater. 

Use all the fish

 

A really good idea to get the most benefit out of caught fish.  After all, we have learned to use virtually every part of cattle for meat, protein, bone, byproducts -- so why not do the same with fish?  I'm wishing that this had been available 25 years ago.

1 in 3 wild fish are discarded before ever reaching a plate. This invention tackles the waste.

"The new sorting method makes it possible to extract and separate an additional five parts of the fish just as carefully as the filet: the head, belly flap, backbone, tailfins, and internal organs. The trial technology, developed by researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, has already been successfully tested at a fish processing plant in the country, which is now making new food products for human consumption from these leftover parts, including fish mince for burgers, made from the backbone and head."

There's even a scientific paper linked in the article, so this is legit and useful.  So now it needs to be implemented, widely and quickly.

So much for changing skins

 

Mick Mulvaney was a GOP Congress rep, a true-believer budget-cutter (never mind what the cuts were and what they damaged, as long as the budget got caught), and then, for a period of time, the Chief of Staff in the Trump White House circus, near the end of the tour.

Now he's a commenter or commentator of some sort, for CBS, and he has said disparaging things about his former boss, which is interesting considering how often he must have kissed that guy's feet/ass/ring. He's probably being critical of Trump so that CBS doesn't fire him.

But he really hasn't stopped being a snake, even if he's trying a new skin on.

I hope Trump doesn't win the Republican nomination in 2024 because we can still have MAGA policies 'without the baggage', his ex-chief of staff Mick Mulvaney says

So he still believes MAGA policies are a good thing?  And he still is supposed to be credible?

I won't be paying much attention to him. 

Guess what? "2000 Mules" is a farce

 

There was no point in believing that the propaganda film "2000 Mules" purpostering to show widespread voting fraud in the 2020 presidential election,  had any connection to reality.  But it was bound to support the erroneous notions of the Republicans who already believed that there was.

But here is more clear evidence that "2000 Mules" was a completely worthless piece of _____ (fill in the blank).

WATCH: The Moment When The ‘2,000 Mules’ Folks Admit Their Supposed Evidence Is Nonsense

P.S.  for the term in the blank, I like the nonsensical word "flibbsy-wibbsy".  Try it out.

Lighthouse of the Week, August 14-20, 2022: Marjaniemi, Finland

 Let's do something different this time and start with a video:

So this is another lighthouse in Finland.  One thing that might not be well-known about the lighthouses of Finland - none of them are on an ocean.  All of them are on the Baltic Sea and extensions.  It's strange to realize that Finland does not have any oceanic coastline, though it does come close up north. 

And this is pretty far north.  Looks like it can get cold there, too, not surprisingly. 

Here's where it is.  It's on an island just off the coast from Oulu.

Let's learn more, from the Lighthouse Directory:

"1872 (Axel Hampus Dahlström). Active; focal plane 20 m (98 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 25 m (82 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a round cylindrical base. Lighthouse painted white; lantern painted red with a green dome. The 2-story pilot station next to the lighthouse is now an inn, the Luotsihotelli, offering overnight accommodations. ... This handsome tower is one of the oldest, best known, and most accessible lighthouses of northern Finland. Located on a sharp point at the western tip of the island of Hailuoto, about 50 km (30 mi) west of Oulu."

Below are four pictures to accompany what's in the video:

 

Provided that they actually fly

 

American Airlines is investing heavily in Boom supersonic jets.

Provided...

they actually get built;

they fly;

they have a sustainable fuel source;

they figure out how to reduce the sonic boom so they can fly over land (NASA is working on that);

and the company doesn't go bankrupt before anything gets off the ground.

Feeling supersonic! American Airlines orders 20 Boom jets, eyes 40 more

Women are lucky (and get lucky, too)

 

According to this article, women have three different kinds of orgasms.  Now that's interesting, but being a man, I'll never get to experience even one of theirs.  I imagine men are a bit more monolithic.  (Or something like that.)

What gets me is the research protocol.  Who gets to sign up for this research?

Yes, yes, yes! How women have three kinds of orgasm... and they are categorised as a wave, an avalanche and a volcano

How did the researchers determine this?  Well, they used a smart vibrator (more on that in a moment), and they signed up dedicated research subjects.

"For the study, 54 women used a Bluetooth-connected vibrator, called the Lioness, which detects the force of pelvic floor contractions in two sensors on its sides and sends the data to a secure internet server.

The women, who performed the tasks at home, were instructed to self-stimulate to one orgasm and then turn the device off two minutes after orgasm was achieved.

This was then repeated over several days."

I'll bet it was.

Now, about that Lioness thing.

And the Daily Mail is so helpful:

From Amazon to orgasms! Berkeley-educated engineer, 31, who grew up in 'very religious family' in Korea ditched her job at the tech giant to spend seven years building the world's first 'smart vibrator'

"The tech entrepreneur, who was named on Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2020, spent the next seven years developing Lioness, a vibrator she compares to a sexual 'Fit Bit.' "

I'm sure product testing was ... hmmm ... insightful.

Does it work?

It appears that it achieves its ... aims pretty well.

I Tried the Lioness Vibrator 2.0, A Sex Toy That Tracks Your Orgasms

I did a quick search for some truly hands-on video demonstrations, but was unsuccessful.  There are videos about it, though.

See the spectacular sights of Italy

 

This happened to scroll past, and it caught my eye.

Yes, this would probably be a dream trip.  I've actually been to parts of Italy a couple of times, but there's a lot more of the country I'd like to see (though maybe not right now with a large part of the northern part of the country gripped by an intense drought), so this trip could be fun and interesting.

The problem I perceive is that if Giada was the tour guide wearing outfits like the one in the picture above, there are probably a lot of magnificent sights of Italy I would end up not seeing, or at least not remembering very well. 

Detail-wise, I don't think Giada would be the guide, and it's actually a pretty good deal (but you have to enter by August 19).   Go here to learn more and maybe enter, and if you win, you can thank me.

Newsflash: Republicans lie to Republicans!

 

I found a disinformational article on TownHall (a conservative Republican online hangout), which you can read here.  

Here's How Many Americans Regret Taking Covid Vaccine

Sounds bad, right?  Must be terrible.  So many people who got vaccinated regretted it.  

How many?  Now, if you actually read the article instead of getting incensed by the headline about how bad the vaccine is, you'll find:

"This comes as an independent pollster found that a significant number of Americans regret receiving the vaccine in the first place. 

10 percent of those vaccinated said they wish they hadn’t done so, while 15 percent of adults said they have been diagnosed with a new condition by a medical practitioner weeks or months after the first dose."

Wow, 10%.  Meaning that 90% are quite happy that they got vaccinated.  

That's an overwhelming success.  Furthermore, the vaccines worked tremendously well, and saved hundreds of thousands of lives, not to mention relieving suffering, because people  who were vaccinated and still got infected (yes, it could still happen) had much much milder symptoms.

Side effects?  Of course there were some side effects.  Practically everything you put in your body could have a side effect.  Have you watched a couple of pharmaceutical commercials on TV (or the Internet) recently?  Half the commercial is taken up with describing possible side effects.

So, yeah, Republicans lie to their fellow Republicans.  Tell me if you're surprised to find that out.

Lighthouse of the Week, August 7-13, 2022: Phare Sainte Marie, France

 

This lighthouse is both historical and inoperative.  But it's a great landmark for the port of Marseille, France, and a good-looking fancy lighthouse.  Plus, it has a little red baby lighthouse in front of it.

Here's where it is located.

Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of pictures of it, given where it is located.   But first, the Lighthouse Directory will tell us about it (and about the little red baby lighthouse, too). 

"1855. Inactive (although the lighthouse is floodlit at night). 21.3 m (70 ft) round cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted white stone, and the lantern is weathered green metallic. ... The harbor of Marseille is a series of bassins separated by dikes and quays. This lighthouse, a familiar landmark of the waterfront, stands at the south entrance to the bassins on the Digue Sainte-Marie; the entrance is called the Passe de la Joliette and it leads to the southernmost bassin, the Bassin de la Grande Joliette." 

And here's the info about the little one, called Passe de la Joliette:

"1882. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); red light occulting three times every 12 s. 7 m (23 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted red."

So, here's the pictures.  The first one is by "Eugenia" on Flickr.  The second one has the little red lighthouse, and the third one is a historical postcard.

 

I found her

 

I'd been looking to find out the name of the actress playing the pregnant woman in this Chevrolet Bolt commercial, because she's very cute playing a pregnant woman.  I have no idea if' she's really pregnant or not.

Well, the name of the actress is Cyrina Fiallo.   Wikipedia has an entry for her;  she's been consistently working. She's currently 30 years old. 

A picture of her, likely taken a couple of years before now, is below.

Small reactors could help with climate and energy a lot

 

Atomic Insights blog has a good look at why small nuclear reactors are something to consider as we (collectively) go forward, as it is, into the future.

Why are smaller reactors attracting so much interest?

I've been touting smaller reactors as the way to go for years (I'm not alone and it's not my unique idea, of course).  The main thing that they need as a standard plug-and-play design.  That saves tremendously both on design and installation.  Furthermore, with the same reactor design used over and over again, all of the potential failure modes should be well-known.   They don't take as big a land footprint, and they don't need as much cooling water (a big deal right now with rivers in Europe running very low).

So, a couple of excerpts from the article here:

A. "No fission product wastes need to be routinely removed to allow the reaction to continue operating for its design fuel cycle. None need to be discharged to the environment. Fission reactors are clean enough, safe enough and independent enough to operate inside sealed submarines carrying crews of several dozen people. Those submarines have gone to every part of every ocean on the planet."

B. "One advantage of smaller systems is the improved ability to use factory manufacturing techniques. Of course, the components used in conventional large reactors are produced in factories, but then they are individually shipped to the site to be assembled into an operating plant. With reactors that have the size and complexity closer to that of large ships or commercial aircraft, it is possible to assemble and transport complete or nearly complete products."

And C. "Small reactors also have some advantages in fuel and nuclear plant material systems that include recycling. They are going to be easier to disassemble for some of the same reasons that they will be easier to assemble. Recycling factories can be less costly when designed to handle a more steady flow of smaller pieces and parts."

So ... all good reasons to consider the modular, reproducible, easy-to-install and easy-to-operate small nuclear reactors.

I'd like to be given a break, please

 

Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and a few other players who decided to take the money and golf on the LIV tour are now reportedly suing the PGA about having their memberships revoked.

What is the basis for their lawsuit?  " the [PGA] Tour has ventured to harm the careers and livelihoods of any golfers, including (list of names) who have the temerity to defy the Tour and play in tournaments sponsored by the new entrant."

Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau lead group of 11 LIV Golf rebels to sue the PGA Tour and challenge their suspensions as the defectors claim their 'careers and livelihoods have been threatened'

So, their livelihood has been threatened by how much?

Mickelson was guaranteed $200 million.  He's currently made more in 2022 than Lionel Messi.

DeChambeau has been signed for around $150 million or so.

Dustin Johnson?  $125 million.   (He's not one of the guys suing the PGA, by the way.)

"Threatens their livelihood" my ass.  

What a bunch of overpaid egotistical jerks.

Now, I think it's crazy to win a couple million for winning a PGA tournament, but at least the winners have to make an effort.

And everybody that plays in any LIV golf tournament is guaranteed a minimum payout in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So go get stuffed, jerks.  I hope you lose and lose big.

Lighthouse of the Week, July 31 - August 6, 2022: Sandy Hook, New Jersey, USA

 

Reviewing the blog, I have only featured a couple of lighthouses from the state of New Jersey.  It apparently has 11;   I previously featured Cape May and Sea Girt.  

This time, I'm featuring the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, which has several claims to lighthouse fame.  Notably, it's the oldest working lighthouse in the United States.

As this New Jersey Web page says, "The Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in the United States. It is located at the northern end of the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area in Highlands. Amazingly well-preserved, this unique octagonal tower dates back to the 18th century and has been in service since 1764. Except for being darkened during the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I and II, the beacon has been operating ever since. The National Park Service owns the tower and the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the light."

It's a National Historic Landmark, and saw action during the Revolutionary War.

So where is Sandy Hook, and the lighthouse?  This map shows where it is. Geographically speaking, Sandy Hook is at the entrance to Raritan Bay, and has Sandy Hook Bay behind it.  It's across the Lower Bay from Staten Island, Brooklyn, and the entrance to New York Harbor. 

So here's the more basic information from the Lighthouse Directory:

"1764 (Isaac Conro). Active; focal plane 88 ft (27 m); continuous white light, day and night. 85 ft (26 m) octagonal rubblestone tower (brick lined) with lantern and gallery, 3rd order Fresnel lens (1857). Tower painted white, lantern red. 2-1/2 story Victorian keeper's house (1883). 3rd order Fresnel lens (1857) in use. ... This is the oldest surviving U.S. lighthouse and the only lighthouse surviving from the colonial period. "

Below are pictures, including the Fresnel lens, and a short video.

by Chris Price

So when does trouble become TROUBLE?

 

Read in the Washington Post:

Trump faces new danger in DOJ’s surprise subpoena of Pat Cipollone

Some pieces to consider:

"As political scientist Jonathan Bernstein argues, the hearings have effectively driven home to journalists, civil society and even some GOP elites that Trump and his allies arrayed themselves in direct, hostile opposition to democracy and the rule of law. That makes it harder for Trump propagandists to cast efforts at accountability as mere partisan showdowns between equivalently motivated political parties."

And this:

" “Cipollone obviously thought many of Trump’s schemes were illegal or risked criminal liability,” Goodman told me. “The Justice Department can get from Cipollone what he told Trump directly and how Trump responded. That is likely to be damning evidence.”

I underlined that last part.  Let's hope.

She couldn't get away forever

 

If you haven't heard of Alina Kabaeva, she's 

a) an Olympic gold medalist in rhythmic gymnastics, one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest;

b) a Russian political official;

c) Vladimir Putin's mistress and mother of three (according to intelligence) bastards (gotta call 'em like they is).

For several months, Kabaeva avoided sanctions on herself similar to those which were imposed on other members of Putin's family and entourage.   But they finally got around to her.

U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Putin's Reported Girlfriend

Kabaeva in her lithe athletic prime (I had to do it)

One might wonder why Putin was attracted to her.

But not for long.

Really, this is a word?

 

I looked up "nork", just for fun, a random made-up word search.

Here's what I found, from Dictionary.com.

"noun (usually plural) 

Australian slang a female breast"

I had absolutely no idea that was going to be the result of the search.